FAQ

Can I monitor multiple EC2 instances?

Yes. Install Node Exporter on each instance you want to monitor, then add those instances as scrape targets in /etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml on the monitoring instance. See the Configuration guide.

Can I add my own application metrics?

Yes. Prometheus supports any application that exposes metrics in the Prometheus text format. Add the application's metrics endpoint as a scrape target in prometheus.yml.

What Grafana version is installed?

The latest stable Grafana OSS version available at image build time. Check with:

grafana-server --version

Does Grafana store data?

Grafana stores dashboards, users, and data source configuration in a local SQLite database at /var/lib/grafana/grafana.db. Back up this file to preserve your dashboards.

How do I retain Prometheus data after AMI version upgrades?

Prometheus stores data in /var/lib/prometheus/. Back up or snapshot this directory before migrating to a new AMI version, or use remote storage (e.g. Amazon Managed Prometheus / Thanos) for long-term retention.

What is the default data retention period for Prometheus?

The default Prometheus data retention is 15 days. To change this, edit the systemd service file and add --storage.tsdb.retention.time=30d (or your desired value) to the ExecStart line.

Can I use this with Alertmanager?

Alertmanager is not pre-installed but can be installed manually. Configure it in prometheus.yml under alerting: and point your alert rules to route to Alertmanager.